Fiction the devil's inheritance in the bible
ONE KINGDOM ONE DESTINY Glastonbury 1005 AD a dying Abbot foresees the coming of the Northmen and dreadful devastation in the land Guildford 1036 A small boy watches a troop of horsemen advancing in the snow bringing with them something terrible to behold Westminster 1066 a dying king makes his choice for the throne that will change the course of history THE DEVIL S INHERITANCE The Devil s Inheritance is the saga of the Norman Conquest of England spanning over four decades and including a cast of a dozen leading characters At its centre are the stories of Harold Godwinsson and William of Normandy two parallel lives whose fates are entwined from an early age and whose desire to become King of England leads their people into headlong collision in one of history s most dramatic and well known events the battle of Hastings 1066 The story opens with a small boy Harold nearly trampled to death by a group of horsemen bringing terrible news to Godwin the Earl of Wessex the boy s father A Norman English prince Alfred has been captured following the death of the great King Canute during the struggle for the succession his Norman followers brutally murdered In the years that follow it is the prince s brother Edward who emerges as the King of England To gain Godwin s support he marries Godwin s daughter Edith but the murder of Alfred is never forgotten and as Edward strengthens his Norman support at court an almighty clash becomes likely Meanwhile in the duchy of Normandy another young boy grows to manhood surrounded by treachery and assassination This is Duke William who overcomes all obstacles to claim the duchy and hold it by victory in battle He strengthens his grip by marrying the daughter of the Count of Flanders In England Edward strikes against Godwin forcing him out of the country banishing his wife and triumphantly asserting his independence At that moment Edward invites Duke William to England and offers him the throne William accepts but when Godwin returns to England in a show of force Edward s Norman party is defeated and the Godwins now control the government With a Norman succession out of the question the English look further afield and bring home a long lost English prince with his infant son Edgar who will be the heir apparent In Normandy William refuses to accept this and as he grows ever powerful it is clear that on Edward s death there will be war Harold now Earl of Wessex is the most powerful man in England his brothers are earls and his sister Edith is restored to the queenship As Edward lies dying he decides to appoint Harold as his heir and the next day Harold is crowned King of England When Duke William hears of this in Normandy he builds a fleet gathers an army and papal support in readiness for the invasion In Norway the feared warrior king Hardrada also prepares to invade England with a Viking army The stage is set for the most dramatic episode in English history 1066 The Devil s Inheritance
Toby is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and studied History at Oxford where he took BA and MSt degrees specialising in medieval English history Toby later completed a PhD and has published several articles and textbooks After teaching history for 12 years Toby returned to academe where he is senior lecturer and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Tobys latest book is The Making of England from Rome to Reformation Amberley published in hardback November 2022 This is the culmination of many years of study and teaching medieval England and examines the written and physical histories of medieval England c400 1600 how the state came into being and why the course of English history is exceptional. The devil's inheritance biography book Toby has also written two Toby is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and studied History at Oxford where he took BA and MSt degrees specialising in medieval English history Toby later completed a PhD and has published several articles and textbooks After teaching history for 12 years Toby returned to academe where he is senior lecturer and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Toby s latest book is The Making of England from Rome to Reformation Amberley published in hardback November 2022 This is the culmination of many years of study and teaching medieval England and examines the written and physical histories of medieval England c400 1600 how the state came into being and why the course of English history is exceptional Toby has also written two historical novels The first titled The Devil s Inheritance is the epic saga of the Norman Conquest of England spanning four decades detailing the stories of Duke William of Normandy and Earl Harold Godwinsson culminating in the best known date in English history the battle of Hastings October 1066 This is available on Kindle and in paperback The second novel The Zaharoff Conspiracy is a spy mystery set in 1914 weeks before the outbreak of the First World War wherein Septimus Oates an Oxford don stumbles upon a royal secret dating from the late eighteenth century which threatens world peace The Zaharoff Conspiracy is the first in a series of spy thrillers set during the First World War and the early years of MI6 the Secret Intelligence Service site_link
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